Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation located on the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, bordering Haiti to the west. The capital of the nation is Santo Domingo, and the nation had a population of 10,075,045 people in 2016; 72.9% was mixed race, 16.1% white, 10.9% black, and .1% Asian. The island of Hispaniola was claimed by Spain in 1492, and the people of Santo Domingo decided to rebel against Spain in November 1821 in order to join the South American country of Gran Colombia. However, Haiti occupied the republic in 1822, and the republic fought for its independence until it was finally achieved in 1844. Spain took advantage ot the chaos to recolonize the republic, and it was not until 1865 that the Dominican Republic would regain its independence for the last time. From the 1860s until the 1910s, the country experienced internal strife, leading to a United States invasion and occupation of the country from 1916 to 1924. In 1965, the USA invaded the republic again, ending the country's last civil war. Unemployment, government corruption, inconsistent electric service, and mass illegal immigration from Haiti led to the republic suffering from continued social and economic issues during the 21st century, and many Dominicans left for the USA. However, the DR built an advanced telecommunication system and transportation infrastructure, and construction, manufacturing, and tourism made up the bulk of the national economy.